So as many of you know, in the Leftover Queen household there is an unending quest for good pizza.

I have written about it on my travel blog here, here, here and here , as well as attempting it at home, on the grill last summer when we were at my mom’s.

We have tried other, not so successful pizza making attempts at home that certainly weren’t worth blogging about. But still on this bread revolution kick, I decided to use my new favorite cookbook, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day to try my hand at a new recipe for pizza dough.

I decided to go with the Olive Oil Dough, but I modified it a little to get some whole wheat flour in there. I have heard the low down on all WW pizza dough from my good friend Helen’s blog, Food Stories, and so I didn’t want to make the same mistake (thanks Helen for being the guinea pig!).

This dough was amazing! It was easy to work with, lifted right off the cookie sheet with no trouble and a perfect golden brown. We topped our pizza with Ciliengini (small fresh mozzarella balls), sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and anchovies with capers. It was the perfect combination of flavors and they texture of the crust was perfect – thin, crunchy on the outside, with a soft give inside. The flavor of the olive oil in the dough really gave it a whole level of deliciousness. The fruitier the olive oil, the better!

We enjoyed this pizza while watching The Spiderwick Chronicles when my mom was visiting. Now Roberto is insisting we have this pizza at least once a week!

INGREDIENTS:

Dough – makes four one pound loaves to be used for pizza, foccacia or even a nice boule.

Mix yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil in a 5 qt. bowl with a lid or food container. Mix in the flours and gluten without kneading, just using a spoon until it is all mixed. You can use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of dry ingredients if necessary. The dough will look “messy”. This is normal – you do not want to over mix.

Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature for about 2 hours. The dough can be used immediately after the first rise, or it can be put in the fridge for about an hour, making it easier to handle. Dough can be used for up to 12 days.
To make Pizza:

Preheat oven to 450F.
Roll dough out on a flat surface and roll to desired thinness. Place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Spread the tomato paste on the dough and sprinkle with herbs. Place the Ciliengini on top of the pizza evenly spaced. Then add the artichokes, anchovies and sun dried tomatoes. Place on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for about 15-17 minutes or until crust is golden brown (don’t forget to check the bottom) and cheese is melted and bubbling.

Serves 3 adults – and leaves them wanting more…

Serve with “Italian Mojitos” (when you want to channel your inner Giada, who makes Italian version of everyone’s favorites!)

For each drink:

several lemon wedges
generous pinch/ small palm full of fresh basil
generous pinch/ small palm full of fresh mint
simple syrup (I used homemade mint simple syrup), to taste (I used about 2 TBS for each drink)

Thanks so much ZoÃ«, for your comment! Obviously I am a huge fan of your book and will continue to promote it! I think it is time we all join the bread revolution!

I can’t wait to go check out your webpage!

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Thank you so much for all your comments. I enjoy reading each and every single one of them. Please keep them coming because I do appreciate the feedback and I apologize that I can't respond to everyone individially. See you in the blogosphere!